Winding-machine.



PATENTED APR. 1'7, 1906.

B. H. SMYTHE.

WINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION I'ILED JUNE 24, 19o5.-

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 817,883. PATENTED APR. 17, 1906.

E. H. SMYTHE.

- WINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2v NO; 817,883. PATENTED APR.17, 1906. E. H. SMYTH'E.

WINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1905.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

I 6/626736 5565 fnaerzfart No. 817,883. PATENTED APR.17, 1906. E. H.SMYTHE.

WINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Z6246? kw? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN H. SMYTHE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRICCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WINDING-MACHINE.

Patented April 17, 1906.

Application filed June 24,1905. Serial No. 266,760.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. SMYTHE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCookand State of Illi- I101S, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Winding-Machines, of which the following is a full,clear, concise, and exact description. 4

My invention relates to a winding-machine, being designed moreparticularly'for winding wires upon closed ring-cores such as are usedfor the so-called loading-coils of telephone-circuits.

Machines have already been devised for mechanically winding closedring-cores, such .a machine consisting, essentially, of a s 001- ringand a winding-ring interlinked wit the core to be wound, the wire to bewound being carried upon the spool-ring and passing over a guide carriedon and moving with the winding-ring, which is caused to rotate by thedriving mechanism and in its rotation pulls off the wire from thespool-ring and wraps it around the core. The rincipal problem to bemetin machines of this type is to have. a maximum wire carrying orstoring capacity for the spool-ring with the combined crosssectionalarea of the spool-ring, winding-ring, and guide small enough to assthrough the center of the core when t e latter isfully wound. Anotherproblem is to rovide against the formation of slack wire. t is desirable of course to wind the coil upon a core of the smallest possiblediameter, leaving a central opening just large enough to permit thepassage of the spool-ring and Windingring. In order that the wire may beWound radially upon the core, it is of course'necessary to have theguide lead the wire through the center line of the core, and it hasheretofore been necessary to restrict the size of the spool-ring, sothat it will lie wholly to one side of a plane through the center of thecore,

the windmg-rin occupying the space on the other side of sai plane.-

It is the object of this invention to simplify the construction ofmachines of this character, so that. they will be cheaper to build andwill have a large capacity for wire 5 5o in proportion to the size ofthe aperture in the ring-core to be wound.

One of the distinctivefeatures of the marrotates the dra ment therewithis also carried along and y chine of my invention is that the guide-ringis entirely ensed with, theuide being carried upon t e spool-ring, whic1 is directly driven instead of being merely rotated by the pull of thewire. The guide has a relative movement of rotation with respect to thespool-ring, which movement may be opposed by friction. As the spool-ringis ositively rotated it tends to carry the gui e around with it, pullingOK the wire from the spool,

the rate of slip of the guide relative to the spool-ring beingdetermined by the rate at which the Wire is being pulled off.

In case of machines for winding closed cores, the portion of the coreupon which the Wire is being applied is necessarily eccentric to thespoolr ing, because of the necessity of making the spool quite large tohold the required amount of wire. In such a machine it is evident thatduring one-half of each revolution there will be a tendency to pull offmore wire from the (sipool-ring than can be wound upon the core min theother half of the revo uti'on, so that slac would be accu mulated. Toprevent the accumulation of for positively advancing the gui e withrelation to the ring to take up any slack which may be formed. Forexample, I may mount the guide to move very free y u on thewinding-ring, but connect. the same y means of a spring with a dragwhich follows the same path as the guide, but has frictional engagementwith the spool-ring. As the spool-ring having frictional enga ereason ofthe s ring connection with the guide tends to 1 said guide along also.As the wire is p ed ofi the spool, however, the guide must moverelatively to the spool-ring in a direction opposite to the rotation ofthe latter. During one-half of the revolution when the wire is beingpulled ofi the spoolring at a faster 'rate than it is wound upon thecore, the U11 of the Wire upon the guide will cause sai guide to moveaway from the drag as far as the tension of the spring will permit andthen to pull the drag along with it. During the-other half of therevolution when slack wire tends to accumulate the drag will remainstationary relative to the spool-ring, and the spring connection betweenthe drag slack in my machine, I provide s ring means i and the guidewill tend to pull the guide forward to take u the slack.

I will descri e my invention more particularly by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine forwinding closed cores constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view, ona larger scale, showing the mounting of the uide upon the spool-ring.Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views somewhat diagrammatic in character,showing the different relative positions of the guide and spool ring atdifferent points in the latters rev0lu, -tion. Fig. 6 is a sectional lanview taken on a plane passing horizontal ythrough the center of thespool-ring. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the construction of aportion of the spool-ring whereby a segment thereof may be removed topermit the spool-ring to be interlinked with the c'losedcore to bewound.

The same letters of reference are used to designate the same partswherever they are shown.

As shown in the drawings, the spool-ring a is arranged to be positivelydriven by a pin ion b, enga ing an internal gear 12, and in practicewill be driven at an approximately constant speed when in operation.Said pine ion is mounted upon a shaft 0, which may be rotated by apulley c or by a handle 0 The ring a is rotatably sup orted upon rollersd d, engaging its inner sur 'ace. Aguide-blook e is mounted to slide inan annular groove a in the side of the spool-ring a, said guide-blockcarrying a guide e, through, which a wire may be directed from thespool-ring to the core f to be wound. As shown, this guide consists of agrooved portion or trough leading over the edge of the spool-ring andcontinuing in a tube which extends around the side of the spool-ring tothe inner side thereof and ends in 'a bell-shaped mouth. The'gmouth ofthe guide from which the wire passes direct to the core is preferablylocated substantially in the plane transverse to the axis of thespoolring passing through the center'of the core f to be wound. As shownin the drawings, said core, f may be held in clamps g g, which arearranged to rotate the same in-a horizontal plane about its axis, sothat the convolutions of wire may be applied side by side along a givenare of the core. pose the clamps may be mounted in a standard h, whichis arranged to be rotated-by gearing actuated by an oscillating manualratchet-lever k.

It will be seen that as the spool-rin is rotated in the direction of thearrows in igs. 4 and 5 the guide 6 will tend to move with said ring, sothat in its rotation it will wrap the wire passing through it around thecore f. This will of course necessitate the wire being For this purulledoff the spool, and the fore move backward relative y to the spool as theWire is pulled off, although having a net forward movement. In otherwords, the spool-ring in its rotation tends to carry the guide aroundwith it; but the guide has a relative slip dependent upon the amount ofwire pulled off the spool. The distance traversed by the spool-ring inany given time is greater than the distance traversed by the guideduring the same time by an amount equal to the length of wire ulled offthe spool.

Since the spool-ring is 0 such lar e diameter that the core to be woundcannot e passed centrally through the axis thereof, but is eccentricallylocated, it is evident that during one-half of each revolution of theguide, while the guide is receding from the core an'excess of wire willbe pulled off the spool. Fig. 4 shows the position of the guide at theend of such a half-revolution, in which more wire has been pulled oflthe spool than would ordinarily beapplied to the core durin thecompletion of t e revolution. To ta e up the slack which would otherwisetend to form, I therefore provide spring means for advancing the guiderelative to the spool-ring, whilethe guide advances to the positionshown in Fig. 5. In the particular ap aratus illustrated in the drawin sthe guidelock e is arranged to slide quite reely in the groove 0/ of thespoolring, but the guide is connected by a coiled spring Z with adrag-block m, which is moved with greater difliculty by reason of itsfric- 'tional engagement. A leaf-spring n, mounted upon the drag-block,presses against the side of the spool-ring to provide the friction. Thisspring may be adjusted by means of a screw n to press more or lesstightly u on the spool-ring, so that the friction of the rag can beadjusted as desired. I In the operation of the device as the guide is.being rotated in a direction away from the core to pull off the wirefrom the spool very rapidly the tension upon the uide is such thatthe-spring l is considerab y extended. This condition is shown in Fi 4.Now as theguide'continues in its trave and again approaches-the core thespool-ring does not itself advance the guide fast enough to take up theslack; but the guide is positively pulled forward upon the spool-ring bythe contraction of the spring Z, which thus serves to keep the wiretaut. The helical spring connecting the. guide with the drag issupported at intervals along the circumferential groove or way by blocks0 0, sliding in said groove. I

It will be understood that if the core to be wound is centrally disposedwith reference to uide will therethe winding-ring there will not be anaccumulation of slack during half of the revolution, but the wire willbe pulled off the spool at a substantially uniform rate, so that in suchcase the spring and drag arrangement for the guide may be dispensedwith, although it may still be desirable to equalize the tension of thewire.

In order to permit the spool-ring to be interlinked with a closed coreto be wound, the ring is provided with a removable segment (1 which-maybe fastened in place by screws 0, or by other suitable means. When acore is to be wound,- the segment is first removed from the ring, thecore then put in position, and the segment replaced, so that the ringand core are interlinked. The spool-rin is then rotated in a directionopposite to that shown by the arrows in Figs. 4 and 5, and sufficientwire is wound upon'the spool to be transferred to the portion of thecore to be wound. When the spool is completely wound the free end of thewire is passed through the guide and secured upon the core. Now uponrotating the ring in the direction shown by the arrows, the wire will beapplied to the core. As before described, the core can be rotated aboutits axis to lay successive convolutions of wire side by side alon thesegment of the core to be wound, all t e convolutions beingsubstantially radial with reference to the core.

It will be seen that by the construction herein described, thecross-sectional area of the s ool-ring can be made very large comparedto the aperture of the core through which the spool-ring must pass, sothat a large quantity of wire may be contained in a spool-ring ofminimum diameter.

I claim 1. In awinding-machine, the combination with a positively-drivenspool-ring adapted to surround the core to be wound, of a guide adaptedto convey the wire from the spool to the core, said guide being mountedto slide around the circumference of the spool-ring, while being drivenfrictionally thereby.

2. In a winding-machine, the combination with a rotatable spool-ringadapted to surround a core to be wound, and means for positively drivingsaid spool-ring, of a guide adapted to convey the wire from said spoolto said core, said uide bein frictionally driven by said spoo -ring butavin a slip relative thereto according to the pul of the wire passingover said guide.

3. In a winding-machine, the combination with a positively-drivenspool-ring adapted to be interlinked with a closed core, of a guide fordirecting the wire from the spool to the core, said guide being mountedupon the ring to be rotated thereby but having a relative movement ofrotation there on as the wire is unwound from the spool, vand springmeans for maintaining the guide advanced upon the spool to the bi ht ofthe loop of wire which passes over sai ide between the spool and core,whereby sai wire is held taut.

4. Ina machine for winding closed cores,

the combination with a spool-ring adapted to tion between said drag andsaid guide whereby the guide is driven in the rotation ofthe spool-ring,and the wire being wound is held taut.

5. In a winding-machine, the combination with a rotating ring, of a dragrotated frictionally by said ring and having a slip relative thereto,and a guide connectedto said dra by an extensible spring, substantiallyas set orth.

6. In a winding-machine, the combination with a spool; ring, of meansfor ositively driving the same, and a guide slidab y'mounted on saidspool-ring.

7. In a winding-machine, the combination with a positively-drivenspool-ring havin an endless way thereon, of a guide mounte to move onsaid way.

8. In a winding-machine, the combination with a positively-drivenspool-ring having an endless way thereon, of a friction-drag and awire-guide mounted to move on said way,

and a resilient connection between said drag and said guide.

9; In a winding-machine, the combination with a positively-drivenspool-ring, of an endless way on said spool-ring, a friction-drag and awire-guide mounted to move on said way, a helical spring connecting saiddrag with said guide, and a supporting-block for.

said spring adapted to slide along said way.

10. In a winding-machine, the combination with the driving mechanism, ofa spoolring adapted to be rotated at an approximately constant speed,and a frictionallydriven wire-guide adapted to be rotated at a ring.

IIO

variable speed concentrically with said 'spool- 11. In awinding-machine, the combination with the driving mechanism, of aspoolrin adapted to surround the core to be wound an to be rotated at anapproximately constant speed, a frictionally-driven guide rotatingconcentrically with said spool-rin and adapted to convey wire from saidspoo-ring to the core, and means adapted to vary the speed. of rotationof said guide, whereby the rate of transfer of wire from said spool-ringis regulated and the accumulationof slack prevented.

12. In a windin -'machine for winding closed cores, the com ination withthe driving mechanism, of a spool-ring'interlinked wit the core to bewound and adapted to be rotated at an ap roximately constant speed,spool-ring is automatically regulated and the said spool-ring havingWire wound thereon, a accumulation of slack prevented.frictionally-drwen guide rotating concentric- In witness whereof Ihereunto subscribe ally with said spool-ring, the wire passing from mynamethis 26th day of April, A. D. 1905.

5 said spool-ring to the core to be Wound byway EDWIN H. SMYTHE.

of said guide, the pull on said wire being adapt- Witnesses a ed to varythe speed of rotation of said guide, DE WITT- C. TA'NNER, whereby therate of transfer of wire from said IRVING MACDONALD.

